Hirst wears well with Levi’s jeans

The artist Damien Hirst, who is part of an investment group that is buying his diamond-covered skull for $100 million, is branching out into fashion, with a new collection for Levi Strauss & Co.

The line Hirst co-designed for the company’s spring 2008 Warhol Factory X Levi’s X Damien Hirst collection includes jeans decorated with a skull pattern made of Swarovski crystals. Priced at $4,000 a pair, the jeans are the most expensive items in the collection.

Hirst’s designs will get their runway debut on Sept. 8 at the Gagosian Gallery in Chelsea during New York’s Fashion Week, Levi Strauss said.

The collection, which includes some 40 styles for men and as many for women, is part of the Warhol Factory X Levi’s label. It uses images from Warhol’s artworks through a licensing agreement with the Andy Warhol Foundation.

Hirst’s platinum skull, studded with 8,601 diamonds, has been on the market at least since June 3, when it was first shown at Jay Jopling’s White Cube gallery in London. White Cube said that Hirst is part of an investment group that is buying it and plans to resell it later. The deal is expected to close in three to four weeks.